Republican Governors: Republicans

Scott Walker Dept: Yet four Republican governors including one net gain were elected Tuesday, bringing to 30 the number of Republican-led states. Why? Because executives can t afford ideological purity. They don t look at reasonable compromise, common ground, win-win or big tent as anathema. They stand on principle when they ought to as Scott Walker has done in Wisconsin but usually understand the need to achieve reality-based results, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Republican reformers will earn crossover appeal by developing ideas for fiscal discipline, right-sized government, entitlement reform and business friendliness. They should also show support for such values as personal accountability, meritocracy, equality of opportunity and national pride. Social policies will remain relevant, but party leaders must avoid prioritizing highly divisive issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage and contraception. Instead, Republicans should stress more mainstream policies that promote and preserve intact families, in-wedlock births and school choice. These are conservative sentiments, to be sure, but ones with rock-solid support across different demographic groups and on the one hand, Tuesday s election results offer Republicans no silver lining. In addition to Mitt Romney s loss, Republicans were creamed in too many gimme Senate elections. GOP candidates came up short because the party turned itself into a reflection of its most extreme elements, which oppose to the death any compromise. For the Republican Party faithful, turning things around will require exorcising our tendency over the past several years to divide the electorate and narrow party membership. Remember when there were Reagan Republicans and Reagan Democrats? Perhaps we could try out a new tag line: The new Republican Party - putting the best of Lincoln, Eisenhower and Reagan to work for America. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.